The Unrepentant Rake by Barbara Monajem

October 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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The Unrepentant Rake by Barbara Monajem
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises
Genre: Historical
Length: Short Story (96 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Beatrix March chose to be a governess rather than let an overbearing husband rule her. Although she never intends to marry, it doesn’t mean she can’t enjoy a man’s…company —especially when tempted by notorious rake Simon Carling.

Little does she know that this rake is in the mood to wed…and when Simon wants something, he will go to outrageous lengths to get it!

Beatrix has vowed never to marry and believes the toebone of St Davnet in a silver reliquary helps her keep her independence. Employed as a governess, she longs to help the eldest daughter marry the man she loves. Unfortunately the girl’s mama has different ideas and invites a known rake to a house party.

Simon Carling is fascinated by the governess. When Beatrix discovers her reliquary is missing he offers to help her find it. Their collusion leads to them becoming closer, but are either of them seriously interested in the other, or are they just enjoying themselves?

Although a regency romance, the characters in this books were not the usual type for this period. More outgoing and natural they were not hung up by the inhibitions of the period. Beatrix was a lovely lady who had her mind set on her independence, while Simon wanted to have his cake and eat it too. I won’t say which one, if either, won as this would spoil the plot.

The fast pace and the fun between the two main characters, plus the typecasting of the lesser characters, makes this well worth a read even if you don’t normally love regencies.

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Dealing with David by Katriena Knights

October 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Dealing with David by Katriena Knights
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (157 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Lotus

It’s tough to win the game of love if you don’t understand the rules.

Though Tony Mullin agreed to put on a medieval costume, complete with pointy hat, for her best friend’s marriage vow renewal, another round of wedding bells will never be in her own future. Been there, done that, still sifting through the ashes of broken dreams.

Yet she can’t take her eyes off the Armani-clad mystery man among the guests—and no one’s more surprised to learn it’s David Peterson, the erstwhile nerd who mooned over her in high school. He not only grew up to be a hunk, but a rich one as well. Pity she’s sworn off men.

Last David knew, sweet, artistic Tony married the high school quarterback. He made his fortune developing video games, but the torch he carried for her still smolders. His surprise that she’s ditched the jock quickly turns to determination to win her heart at last…though she seems just as determined to play keep-away.

David didn’t become successful by giving up easily. A freak snowstorm plays into his strategy, but debugging a few gigabytes of computer code seems easier than figuring out how to win this wary woman’s love.

Have you ever wanted to go to your high school reunion to show everyone how well you are doing in life? Or have you ever wanted to show up for your high school reunion looking so much better that no one recognizes you and everyone is also in awe of you?

David Peterson shows up for a classmate’s wedding (basically a high school reunion) looking like a hunk, wearing an expensive designer suit. Antonytte “Tony” Mullin had no idea who he was in high school. Apparently he was her math tutor, but she still didn’t remember him very much. Gradually, she realized that he was the boy she shot down at a dance because she was too concerned about remaining with the popular group. Could she make amends now or should she make amends? Tony is struggling with rebuilding her life, dealing with past issues. She is taking classes to become an accountant even though she hates dealing with numbers. Tony used to love drawing, but has turned her back on it because she has heard that the outlook for artist jobs is not promising.

David has made a successful career out of something he enjoys doing, but has not had much time for dating. He also never got over his high school crush who didn’t even seem to notice him back then. When the opportunity to rescue Tony comes up, David jumps at the chance to be her knight in shining armor. He has always been kind and patient with Tony, but she overlooks him, favoring her own agenda.

Even though the story kind of happened the way that I expected, I still enjoyed it very much. I fell in love with David and was wishing that I could still spend more time with him even after the story ended. Tony reacted the only way she could due to her past experiences, but she also changed for the better after she made some revelations with a little help from her friends. The plot was very interesting to me because I have always wondered about former classmates even though I have yet to attend a reunion. Ms. Knights’ writing style is quick-paced, making reading a pleasure. I will definitely look for more books from this author.

For a fun high school reunion, wedding-style, snap up a copy of Dealing with David. It will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered about their high school classmates, wanted to carry out an outstanding appearance at their high school reunion, or just needed a great story to read that combines revenge, overcoming obstacles, and romance.

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The Amorous Chatelaine by Lindsay Townsend

October 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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The Amorous Chatelaine by Lindsay Townsend
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Genre: Historical
Length: Short Story (76 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Fennel

Emma de Barri is the generous chatelaine of a large estate, where she schools young, green knights in the matters of courtly dress and deportment. As a widow, she is often the object of desire but never has a knight tempted her away from the memory of her late husband.

Sir Robert is neither young nor green. He is hardened by battle and tempered by the vagaries of life. He is also rough and unrefined—completely lacking in manners, sophistication or any of the qualities Lady de Barri values. But his arms are strong, his face is handsome and his heart is as bright and gold as the sun at noon. A heart he gives unreservedly to Lady de Barri.

As Emma teaches Sir Robert how to read and dress, how to be gentle and composed, he teaches his sweet chatelaine how to live and love again.

Ms Townsend drops her reader into the medieval world of Knights and Ladies and in short order reveals two characters with depths, charm and baggage they are both subconsciously using as shields against moving forward.

All it takes for Sir Robert is one look at the Lady bathing in the open air pool to fall head-over-heels in love, but never having felt the emotion before, it takes him a while to cotton on, and yet that is part of Ms Townsend’s skill in presenting such a loveable hero. While he is gallant, strong, courteous and caring, he lacks social skills and presumes they will forever hold him back from finding true love. Indeed due to past events, he doesn’t ever expect a woman to look upon him with any favour. When challenged, he rises to protect the woman he’s given his heart to.

Widowed lady Emma never expects to give her heart to another and yet, and despite the number of knights she has schooled in social etiquette and expectations, it is the honourable and courageous Sir Robert, who lacks all those graces she normally holds dear, that captures her heart. She is wily, witty and charming and when she has a goal she goes after it.

The challenge when it comes is unexpected and takes a little readjustment, but only a little. The author skims over the details of the conflict and swiftly moves the reader on to how her hero and heroine overcome the considered obstacles in their path.

It is the way that the author unveils the insecurities of her characters, that adds depth and charm to the romance, and her scene-setting is delightful.

There are some sexually charged scenes in The Amorous Chatelaine, of which only one is mildly explicit. That said the author’s light touch, and ‘sweet’ technique, present a rough diamond of a hero in Sir Roger, and just the woman to polish up those sharp edge in widowed Lady Em, the Chatelaine.

For lovers of historical romance, this is a quick and uplifting story.

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Every Breath She Takes by Norah Wilson

October 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Every Breath She Takes by Norah Wilson
Publisher: Montlake
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (301 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

Veterinarian Lauren Townsend has good reason for hiding her psychic ability. Not only did her “freakishness” earn her pariah status in the small town where she grew up, it cost her a fiancé and her faith in love. When Lauren foresees a murder—through the killer’s eyes—she traces the victim to a sprawling ranch, never guessing what waits for her…

Cal Taggart’s rugged ranch life doesn’t need any more complications. His stubborn determination cost him his marriage, and now may cost him his livelihood. But then beautiful Lauren enters his corral…with danger close behind. And Cal wants nothing more than to protect her. They can’t deny their intense attraction. Nor do they want to. What begins as a fling with no strings becomes a fight for survival—and for true love.

Breathtaking, Every Breath She Takes touches that mysterious world of premonitions and violent visions that are so strong they cause Lauren Townsend to cross a continent to try to save the life of a person she doesn’t even know—a person she sees being strangled at sunset in her vision.

Lauren, a successful veterinarian, survived the ridicule, embarrassment, endless doctor examinations and tests, and her family’s distress over her being “different”, and even survived the defection of a fiancé. Her violent visions that the doctors labeled “seizures” governed her life but she learned to cope. For some reason she feels compelled to try to prevent a death if possible, even though she knows people will not believe her. When the vision comes, she does as the old detective told her, look with her eyes, then with logic, and finally with her gut—intuition. The body knows the truth before the mind. It’s terrifying but she sees clues and goes from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Alberta, Canada to vacation at the Foothills Guest Ranch. Here her life changes as euphoric lovemaking, near-death experiences, and conflicts that try her soul engulf her.

“Whatever it takes” is Cal Taggert’s mantra. If it takes entertaining dudes to save his ranch then that is what he will do. Economics and weather conditions have put his ranch in peril, but the ex-bull rider has a long range plan for his hard-won ranch and selling out to a greedy, devious neighbor does not figure into the plan. When the lady from back east, a perfect picture of athletic femininity arrives at the ranch, Cal does not feel so grumpy about the “guest ranch” part of his business. She stirs his libido and brings a spark to his eyes and subtle innuendos to his greeting.

Neither Cal or Lauren are in an emotional place in their lives to be looking for commitment, but sex for fun with no strings attached seems attractive to both of them. The foreplay, the love scenes, and the gradual healing for two wounded hearts and souls take the reader on a vicarious experience that ebbs and flows from raging storm intensity to quiet, contented togetherness.

The undercurrent of danger, the watchfulness, the worry, and the sorting out who is really the ‘bad guy’ is ever present. It ranges from uneasiness to a savage battle for life. Norah Wilson keeps the reader turning pages as she sprinkles in clues, hints, and tiny incidents of foreshadowing that intrigue.

The secondary characters demand attention and have a strong influence on how Lauren and Cal cope with their problems. Marlena, Cal’s ex-wife is a character that captivates. Her problems and actions wreak havoc on the best of intentions. Cal’s father is a mystery that unravels bit by piece to create a poignant back story that reveals so much about Cal.

Norah Wilson’s writing style gives the reader adrenaline-pumping danger, world-shattering love scenes, and a look at human nature with all its flaws and foibles. The loyalties, intrigues, and love that reach passed hurts and fears to find a happy-ever-after and hope for the seemingly hopeless make Every Breath She Takes an absorbing romance with mystery and suspense aplenty. Good reading!

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More than a Kiss by Stacey Joy Netzel

October 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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More than a Kiss by Stacey Joy Netzel
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (128 pages)
Heat Level: spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Quince

When a kiss…

All reporter Sadie Barton wants is to be taken seriously and judged on her own merits, not her stepfather’s money. She and her actress sister left Wisconsin to get out from under his controlling thumb and leave behind the malicious whispers that they’re no better than their gold-digging mother. But California isn’t all sun and fun, and paying the rent while trying to prove herself is harder than she ever imagined.

…is more than a kiss…

Something about Sadie drew self-made millionaire Zach Robinson—and it wasn’t just the amazing kiss they shared as impromptu actors in his company’s commercial. He’s used to women being interested in his wealth, and Sadie’s fierce independence is an enticing breath of fresh air. He’s falling fast—until his brother suggests acting runs in her family and Sadie might not be exactly what she seems…

Sometimes it seems that sweet, straight contemporary romance novels are a dying genre and it always make me happy when I am proved wrong. If the characters are from different social statuses then the book is on my “to read list” automatically. More Than a Kiss falls in both categories and I am very glad that I had a chance to read it.

This is a lovely, sweet romance with great characters. The main characters are Zach and Sadie. Zach is a self-made millionaire, while Sadie is the stepdaughter of a very rich man. She and her sister decide to make it by themselves, so basically that means she is poor. Zach is good looking, funny, and the man with the ideas and determination to see them through. He is super rich but he is such a down to earth person, he really knows how to enjoy life. Sadie is cute, funny and also very determined to succeed, but not at all costs.

The attraction between them is instant and they are really great together even if, at first, they are not able to realize that. One of the major obstacles for their relationship is that that Zach was under his brother’s influence, colored by having had a bad experience with his deceiving ex-fiancée. Sadie, on the other hand had so much emotional baggage. The main conflict being that she did not want to be labeled as a gold digger. All of this could be solved easily, but unfortunately things got very complicated and lots of prejudice came between them. Therefore Zach and Sadie were challenged with so many hindrances on their way to happiness that in the end, I was wondering if they would even have their HEA. The bottom line was that because of their previous experiences, they did not trust each other easily. But, since love conquers all, they managed to overcome all obstacles and fall even deeper in love.

Although it has already been said, More Than a Kiss is a really sweet contemporary romance with a satisfying plot that put a smile on my face more than once while I was reading.

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Heartbeats by Susan Rae

September 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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heartbeats by Susan Rae
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (206 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Love makes your pulse race, but passion can kill…

murder, passion, suspense…

Dr. Elizabeth Iverson’s career is on track. She’s just landed the enviable position as lead cardiologist at a prestigious Chicago heartcare center working under a renowned cardiovascular surgeon. But her plans for a quiet, controlled life are shattered when she discovers her college roommate murdered in her apartment. When her former lover, FBI Special Agent Drake McGuire, shows up on her doorstep with the cops, he unleashes a storm in her heart that further threatens to destroy her world, especially when he insists on hanging around to help solve the case when it becomes apparent that Elizabeth was the intended target for murder!

Elizabeth’s patients put their lives in her hands, but what happens when her own life is in danger?

Elizabeth is definitely someone who likes to have things under control. I wouldn’t go as far as to call her a control freak, but she comes close. When her life spirals out of control after the death of her friend, she certainly doesn’t want to admit that she needs help. She’s the kind of person who insists on pressing on no matter the circumstances. While I admire her determination, this does give Elizabeth the appearance of being cold at times. However, underneath her carefully controlled exterior, Elizabeth does have a softer side. She is absolutely crazy about her daughter and is as loving and devoted as any parent could be. Elizabeth also has a true passion for her work and she genuinely cares for each one of her patients.

Elizabeth’s softer side is further revealed in her relationship with Drake, a flame from her past. Elizabeth is cautious at first, but when she fully commits her heart to him, they have great potential as a couple. Unfortunately, Elizabeth has a secret that threatens to ruin her budding relationship with Drake. I thought the revelation of this secret played out in a fairly typical way, but it did add an interesting dimension to Elizabeth and Drake’s relationship.

Drake is a typical tough guy with a good heart. He’s a successful FBI agent who doesn’t take no for an answer and is used to doing things his way. Since Drake and Elizabeth both have strong personalities, they butt heads frequently, but given time and little compromise on both sides, I think they will work well together.

Ms. Rae did an excellent job of presenting several plausible suspects who would want to target Elizabeth. I carefully considered the motivation of each one and I was eventually able to narrow down the list based on the continued threats of the killer. As the story progressed, I couldn’t help but read faster, sure that I was on the right track. There were two twists that I didn’t see coming. The first involved Elizabeth and I didn’t think it was necessary as it sort of slowed things down at a moment when I wanted to keep moving full speed ahead. The second twist was more interesting and happened right at the climax when all the pieces of the puzzle were sliding into place and added an extra dash of suspense at just the right moment.

I enjoyed reading heartbeats. The pacing is great and the mystery is plotted very well. Anyone looking for a thrilling romantic suspense should give heartbeats a try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Miss Lavigne’s Little White Lie by Samantha Grace

September 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Miss Lavigne’s Little White Lie by Samantha Grace
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (390 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

A Scoundrel Drives a Hard Bargain…

Spirited and determined to protect her young brother at any cost, Lisette Lavigne is desperate to flee New Orleans. There’s only one ship sailing to England, though, and the rakish Captain Daniel Hillary will only allow Lisette’s family aboard for a very steep price…

But a Lady Always Gets the Upper Hand…

Daniel prides himself on running a tight ship, and he knows a lady will be nothing but trouble on a long voyage. Yet he can’t help but break his own ironclad rules when Lisette persuades him that being gentlemanly just this once is his wisest course of action…

Lisset Lavigne must have a guardian angel that fetches Captain Daniel Hillary again and again to save her from being ruined or worse. The reader has a unique vicarious experience as these two troubled characters struggle to come to terms with the twists and turns that life throws at them.

How the naïve but courageous Lisset and the arrogant, handsome but guilt-ridden Captain Daniel Hillary dance around each other after the deal for passage on his ship, the Cecily, entertains and gives the reader special insight into the personality of each of them. The undercurrent of impending danger is subtle and goes unheeded for a time.

Lisset is ingenious about the ways of the world. Her father has kept her sheltered, but now he’s dead and she must cope. When she overhears what her betrothed plans to do with her brilliant but different little brother Rafe, she vows to do whatever it takes to keep him safe.

She seeks the assistance of her father’s longtime friend and business associate Monsieur Baptiste and follows the advice of her older, more worldly-wise cousin Serafine that says the tea leaves indicate they must escape to England where they will survive and thrive. Serafine has a secret agenda but she also loves Lisset and Rafe. Lisset and Rafe leave behind their beautiful home and a sugar plantation and run.

Louis Reynaud, Lisset’s betrothed, considers her his property and also plans to own the property Rafe will inherit when he comes of age. He seems to have no redeeming qualities and is ruled by greed and desire for power—to be the giver of life or death at his pleasure.

As the plot and sub-plots unfold, the characters become more real. The humor and gradual revelation of the characters’ hope, fears, and thoughts keep the reader engaged. However, at times I felt I was on the outside looking in on the action. Also, all the major players, even to Serafine’s lost-lover, getting from America to England and their knowing their way around so well seems contrived at times. But the need to find out how a young Creole beauty and a wealthy Englishman manage to find common ground and their happy-ever-after kept me turning pages. A special bonus is learning about Rafe, his unique abilities, and how he is nurtured.

Miss Lavigne’s Little White Lie by Samantha Grace has a special kind of charm and a beautiful love story. It also lets the reader share in the redemption of Captain Daniel Hillary whose soul had been held hostage for too long.

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How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren

September 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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How I Came to Sparkle Again by Kaya McLaren
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (337 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

Set in a Colorado ski town, Kaya McLaren’s How I Came To Sparkle Again is a remarkable breakout novel that chronicles three people and their journey from loss to love; heartbreak to hope

Jill Anthony spent her young adulthood in the ski town of Sparkle, Colorado. But more than a decade has passed since she left when, only weeks after a very late miscarriage, she finds her husband in bed with another woman, she flees Austin, Texas for the town she knows: Sparkle.

Lisa Carlucci wakes up one morning after another night of meaningless sex, looks in the mirror and realizes that she no longer wants to treat her body like a Holiday Inn. She’s going to hold out for love. The only problem is, love might come in the form of her ski bum best friend, who lives next door with his ski bum friends in a trailer known as “the Kennel.”

Cassie Jones, at age ten, has lost her mother to cancer and no longer believes in anything anymore. She knows her father is desperately worried about her, and she constantly looks for messages from her deceased mother through the heart-shaped rocks they once collected in the streams and hills of Sparkle.

Three people at the crossroads of heartbreak and healing. Three lives that will be changed one winter in Sparkle. One tender, funny, tear-jerking novel you won’t soon forget.

“Keep Living.” “Don’t worry about the future, it will come.” “Look at NOW, see opportunities….” This kind of advice and so much more is offered to Jill, Lisa, and Cassie as each of them struggles to find her way back to positive, productive living from the bleakest time in each of their lives.

Jill, a successful nurse with a beautiful home, is devastated by the loss of her unfaithful husband and their baby. She runs, feeling like a discarded woman and only in her thirties. Even her parents have written her off as not being good enough to be in the Celestial Kingdom with them. But in Sparkle, Colorado, Uncle Howard accepts her, warts and all, just like he did years ago when she was a skinny kid. Everyone should have an “Uncle Howard”! He is a darling.

Jill needs a season to heal and ends up living in “The Kennel” with three men—womanizers, ski bums, and loyal friends to her at this fragile time in her life. Tom, Eric, and Hans furnish outrageous humor and a philosophy that staggers the imagination. Tom explains the Wild Kingdom with alpha and beta male philosophy to Jill. It is mind boggling. These three men depict a unique sub-cultural that functions to the rhythm of a different drum.

Lisa, Jill’s friend, welcomes Jill back to Sparkle with open arms. A ski instructor and accepting friend of Tom, Eric, and Hans, Lisa turns over a new leaf and starts a new chapter in her life. She struggles to regain her self-esteem and to build a life with integrity and love as a must in any relationship she has from here on. She becomes a mystery to those who have seen her promiscuous ways in the past. She is a super friend and what she does to get even with Jill’s faithless husband that files for divorce is unparalleled—wicked.

Little Cassie grieves for her dead mother who had also been her ski mentor, close companion and confidante. Mike, her father, does all he knows to do to help her, but knows he falls short and Cassie is such a problem and lives in a world so to herself that no one wants to stay with her while Mike works, until Jill comes along.

Overwhelmed with his own grief, Mike struggles to do his job where life and death seem to just happen for no reason. He hates for people to try to rationalize why some live and some die.

The relationship that grows between Jill and Cassie—so fragile in the beginning has some breath-holding moments that tug on the heart strings. The humanness and stages of healing they help each other through make poignant reading.

Kaya McLaren writes descriptions that plop the reader right down into the pristine snow on the silent ski slopes and into the disgusting “Kennel” where urine is spattered on the toilet tissue, marijuana perfumes the air, and a mirror hangs on the ceiling over Jill’s bed. Ms. McLaren offers a vicarious experience with characters that range from successful professionals to the “barely-get-by” misfits and manages to let the reader see something especially good in each of the.

Ms. McLaren has an amazing talent for writing humor that fits perfectly with a character to make each one endearing in some way yet flawed in other ways. She engages the reader’s senses with revealing descriptions and metaphors and keeps one turning pages to see what serious or humorous thing will happen next. She weaves a multitude of life’s obstacles into the story as Jill, Lisa, and Cassie forge a path back to happiness with the help of a delightful array of secondary characters.

How I Came to Sparkle Again, with its more than one meaning, is a sparkling, funny, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking tale with remarkable characters. It touches the heart on many levels—a keeper.

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The Trouble with Highlanders by Mary Wine

September 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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The Trouble with Highlanders by Mary Wine
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (296 pages)
Heat Level: spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

She Has Hardly Any Choices Left…

With her clan on the wrong side of the struggle for the Scottish throne, heiress Daphne Macleod, once the toad of the court, is out of options…

And They’re All Dangerous…

Norris Sutherland once helped Daphne, but she walked away from him without a backward glance. Now she’s in deep trouble and needs him more than ever. But he may be lost forever…unless she can somehow convince him to forgive her.

Daphne MacLeod’s and Norris Sutherland’s reactions to each other may not be “sane” or “normal”, but they almost scorch the pages. Nothing is done in halfway measures. The heir to the Earldom of Sutherland and the orphaned, impoverished and disgraced daughter of a laird are not a likely match, but their “seeing-if-they-fit” makes spellbinding reading.

Her coping after her fall from privilege into poverty, her determination to do her “duty” to a clan that does not respect her, and her “I will endure” attitude puts her on a rocky road. Of course, she had already made a choice that kept a feud from erupting but had disgraced her. Norris Sutherland, that Daphne calls a marauder in civilized clothing, had been very happy to help her with that and then gone on his merry way—only now he can’t seem to forget the beautiful, intrepid woman whose passion flamed along with his.

During the fifteenth century, the harsh, unforgiving Highlands produced harsh, unforgiving feuding clans that seemed to believe the end justified the means. Their unwritten code of ethics or the lack thereof is blood-chilling. To find gentleness and love amid all the killing, cruelty and misery is like finding a bit of heaven on earth.

The way Morrell Comyn treats Daphne sends the temper raging. No human being should treat another the way he treats her. She does endure. But this reader zipped along the pages wanting to be sure this despicable character got his comeuppance. Even with the mores of the time less than charitable to women, his barbaric, savage actions horrify.

With a marriage for power and profit prized far above a marriage for love, true love had little hope of prevailing. While Daphne is settled at Dunrobin the Sutherland’s opulent castle, under the protection of Norris Sutherland and in his bed, she knows real fear when Sandra Fraser arrives with her brother Bari along with a big dowry. Sandra plans to marry Norris and even offers Daphne a deal. The conflict and vicious methods that ensue whip the story into frenzy. Sandra’s Machiavellian ways make one shudder.

The Trouble with Highlanders teems with intriguing secondary characters. Lytge Sutherland, Norris’s father is of the old school about marriage, but he has another agenda that adds a special bit of spice. MacNichols, Daphne’s jilted betrothed, and his wife, who is also his true love, play significant roles as the climax nears. Gahan, Norris’s half brother, is a powerful force in the workings of the Sutherlands. He and Saer, Daphne’s half brother, would be interesting characters to get to know more about. Their controlled savage nature seems ready to erupt at any time.

Mary Wine keeps the adrenaline pumping with sizzling love scenes, savage Highlanders who are quick to judge, a demanding, threatening priest, antagonists both male and female that all but breath fire as they pursue their own agendas uncaring of all else. The fast pace keeps the focus on the goal while the woven in history keeps one grounded in the time and place of events. Ms. Wine takes one’s emotions on a rollercoaster ride from the horrific to the heavenly. Her hero and heroine’s happy-ever-after is hard won and precious. It is magical as it should be for she is his fire fairy strong and true. He is her marauder lover—a magnificent Highlander, savage with a thin veneer of civilized but gentle and unabashedly in love with her.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , ,

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong

September 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (444 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review by: Mistletoe

A war is brewing—the first battle has been waged and Savannah Levine is left standing, albeit battered and bruised. She has rescued her half brother from supernatural medical testing, but he’s fighting to stay alive. The Supernatural Liberation Movement took him hostage, and they have a plan to expose the supernatural world to the unknowing.

Savannah has called upon her inner energy to summon spells with frightening strength, a strength she never knew she had, as she fights to keep her world from shattering. But it’s more than a matter of supernaturals against one another—both heaven and hell have entered the war; hellhounds, genetically modified werewolves, and all forces of good and evil have joined the fray.

Uniting Savannah with Adam, Paige, Lucas, Jaime, Hope, and other lost-but-notforgotten characters in one epic battle, for a grand series finale.

I am a big fan of this author and especially this series. I was eagerly awaiting this book and excited to be able to read it but sad that this is the finale chapter in this series. I have come to know and love many of the characters in these books and saying goodbye was a hard thing. Thirteen brings us back into the wondrous world that this author has created. Savannah is our guide throughout most of this book. It’s a story of trying to stop the war that could ruin them all; laws are being broken left and right, beings are crossing over, and demons are joining in as well as are so many others. In short total chaos has arrived and the battle has just begun. Can Savannah and her friends and allies stop things before it is to late?

There is so much I want to say but so much of it would be spoilers and I so do not want to spoil this read for anyone. I want you to enjoy this book as much as I did. If you have followed this series from book one you will not be disappointed.So much is going on in this book, everywhere you turn there is something happening. I loved seeing how everyone has grown throughout this series. The bond that they all share makes for a great read. Savannah and Adam are all grown up and I enjoyed seeing them take that step towards a permanent relationship. It was nice to see many of the major players in this world come into play. As a follower of this series I know most if not all of the characters and their personalities and I enjoyed seeing just how each one fit into this story. The main women from this series each get their turn at telling us part of this story. I loved that a short story featuring Elena and Clay is added to the end of the book bringing it all back to the characters that started it all.

This book is fast paced and full of emotion, reminding me why Kelley Armstrong is on my auto buy list. Many questions were answered yet there were still some things left unanswered, hopefully this means that this author might just gift readers with a return to this world some time in the future.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,
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